Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 113, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1916 — Common American Birds [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Common American Birds

Interesting Information about them supplied by the Bureau of Biological Survey of the .United States of

Mocking Bird (Mlmua polyglottos) Length, ten inches. Most easily distinguished from the similarly colored loggerhead shrike by the absence of a conspicuous black stripe through the eye. Range: Resident from southern Mexico north to California, Wyoming, lowa, Ohio and Maryland; casual farther north. Habits and economic status: Because of its incomparable medleys and

imitative powers, the mocking bird is the most renowned singer of the western hemisphere. Even in confinement It is a masterly performer, and formerly thousands were trapped and sold for cage birds, but this reprehensible practice has been largely stopped by protective laws. It Is not surprising, therefore, that the mocking bird should receive protection principally because of its ability as a songster and its preference for the vicinity of dwellings. Its place in the affections of the South Is similar to that occupied by the robin in the North. It Is well that this is true, for the bird appears not to earn protection from a strictly economic standpoint. About half of Its diet consists of fruit, and many cultivated varieties are attacked, such as oranges, grapes, figs, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Somewhat less than a fourth of the food is animal matter, and grasshoppers are the largest single element. The bird Is fond of cotton worms, and is known to feed also on the chinch bug, rice weevil, and bollworm. It is unfortunate that It does not feed on injurious insects to an extent sufficient to offset its depredations on fruit.

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) Length, four and three-fourths Inches. The only one of our wrens

with wholly whitish underparts that lacks a light line over the eye. Range: Breeds throughout the United States (except the South Atlantic and Gulf States) and southern Canada; winters in the southern United States and Mexico. Habits and economic status: The rich, bubbling song of ttya familiar little house wren Is one of the sweetest associations connected with country and suburban life. Its tiny body, long bill, sharp eyes, and strong feet peculiarly adapt It for creeping into all sorts of nooks and crannies where lurk the Insects it feeds on. A cavity “tn a f ence post; aholeinatree, ora box will be welcomed alike by this busybody as a nesting site; but since the advent of the quarrelsome English sparrow such domiciles are at a premium and the wren’s eggs and family are safe only in cavities having •ntraaoM too small to admit the spar-

row. Hence it behooves the farmer’s boy to provide boxes the entrances to which are about an Inch in diameter, nailing these under gables of barns and outhouses or in orchard trees. In this way the numbers of this useful bird can be Increased, greatly to the advantage of the farmer. Grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, bugs, and spiders are the principal elements of its food. Cutworms, weevils, ticks, and plant lice are among the injurious forms eaten. The nestlings of house wrens consume great quantities of insects.

Killdeer (Oxyechus vociferus) Length, ten Inches. Distinguished by its piercing and oft-repeated cry—kildee. Range: Breeds throughout the United States and most of Canada; winters from central United States to South America. Habits and economic status: The killdeer is one of the best known of the shorebird family. It often visits the farmyard and commonly nests in pastures or cornfields. It is rather suspicious, however, and on being approached takes flight with loud cries. It is noisy and restless, but fortunately most of its activities result in

benefit to man. The food is of the same general nature as that of the upland plover, but is more varied. The kllldeer feeds upon beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, bugs, caddis flies, dragonflies, centipedes, spiders, ticks, oyster worms, earthworms, snails,, crabs and other crustacea. Among the beetles consumed are such pests as the alfalfa weevil, cotton-boll weevil, clover-root weevil, cloverleaf weevil, pine wepvil, billbugs, white grubs, wireworms, and leaf beetles. The bird also devours cotton worms, cotton cutworms, horseflies, mosquitoes, cattle ticks, and crawfish. One stomach contained hundreds of larvae of the saltmarsh mosquito, one of the most troublesome species. The killdeer preys extensively upon insects that are annoying to man and injurious to his stock and crops, and this should be enough to remove it from the list of game birds and insure its protection.

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) - Length, about four and one-fourth inches. Olive green above, soiled whitish below, concealed feathers on head (crest) bright red. Range: Breeds in southern Canada, southern Alaska, and the higher mountains of the western United States; winters in much of the United States and south to Guatemala. Habits and economic status: In habits and haunts this tiny sprite resembles a chickadee. It is an active, nervous little creature, flitting hither and yon in search of food, and in spring stopping only long enough to utter its beautiful song, surprisingly loud for the size of the musician. Three-fourths of its food consists of wadps, bugs, and flies. Beetles are the only other item of importance (12 per cent). The bugs eaten by the kinglet are mostly small, bjjt, happily, they are the most harmful kinds. Treehoppers, leafhoppers, and jumping plant lice are pests And often do great harm to trees and smaller plants, while plant lice and scale Insects are

the worst scourges of the fruit growet —in fact, the prevalence of the latter has almost risen to the magnitude of a national peril. It is these small and seemingly insignificant birds that most successfully attack and hold in check these Insidious foes of horticulture. The vegetable food consists of seeds of pot won ivy, or ~ polßon oak, a saw weed seeds, and a few small fruits, mostly elderberries.